Book review for Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Harper Perennial, 2008, c1990

I first read this book in a University of Minnesota class for continuing education students and was happily surprised. This book helps you become a better person. Mihaly challenges you to get out of the lull that you droll through every day and to see the “moment” for what it really is: a poignant opportunity to improve. And on top of that, once we get into the habit of self-challenging and achieving goals, then the process becomes seamless and almost “Flow’s” naturally. This book gave some insights on how to cultivate the flow experience. It is not exactly a how-to book, but it does give some suggestions.

Flow is talked about as a tool to enrich lives and make the most out of work-life, free time, or learning, which is why it was a necessary read for returning college students not used to the rigorous studies that lay ahead of them. This state of “flow,” or optimal experience—a state that is hard to describe but basically encompasses measured, precise concentration on an intellectually or physically satisfying task.

It is very comfortable to read and not too scientific and the author tries to stay objective. I laughed a few times in a kind of it’s funny because it’s true sort of way. The only downside of the book I would mention again is that it isn’t a how-to book, I got so excited by the notion of flow and optimal experience I wanted a formula but that is almost impossible because of the fluid nature of being in flow and everyone’s individual preferences, goals, and abilities.

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